Prepositional Phrase

What Is a Prepositional Phrase?

A preposition draws a relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in a
sentence. A prepositional phrase includes a preposition, its object, and any modifiers of the
object. The preposition’s object is the noun or pronoun that follows the preposition.
Prepositional phrases can function as either adjective phrases or adverb phrases to modify
other words in a sentence.

Common examples of prepositions include about, after, at, before, behind, by, during, for,
from, in, of, over, past, to, under, up, and with.

Examples of Prepositional Phrases Functioning as Adjective

Phrases:

(With is the preposition, and with him is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase
functions as an adjective phrase, modifying boy.)

The bracelet in the storefront window is the one I want.

(In is the preposition, and in the storefront window is the prepositional phrase. The
prepositional phrase functions as an adjective phrase, modifying bracelet.)

We stayed at the cabin by the river.

(By is the preposition, and by the river is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase
functions as an adjective phrase, modifying cabin.)

The store at the corner sells sandwiches.

(At is the preposition, and at the corner is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase
functions as an adjective phrase, modifying store.)
(Behind is the preposition, and behind you is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase
functions as an adjective phrase, modifying broom.)

I adopted a black cat with white paws.

(With is the preposition, and with white paws is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional
phrase functions as an adjective phrase, modifying cat.)

Examples of Prepositional Phrases Functioning as Adverb

Phrases:
When you get to the sign, take a left.

(To is the preposition, and to the sign is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase
functions as an adverb phrase, modifying get.)

We climbed up the hill to see the view.

(Up is the preposition, and up the hill is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase
functions as an adverb phrase, modifying climbed.)

It annoys me when people talk during movies.

(During is the preposition, and during movies is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional
phrase functions as an adverb phrase, modifying talk.)

Hannah looked under the bed to see if she could find her necklace.

(Under is the preposition, and under the bed is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase
functions as an adverb phrase, modifying looked.)

I’ll meet you after school.

(After is the preposition, and after school is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase
functions as an adverb phrase, modifying meet.)

The sun rose over the mountain.

(Over is the preposition, and over the mountain is the prepositional phrase. The prepositional
phrase functions as an adverb phrase, modifying rose.)

Why Are Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases Important?

Prepositions and prepositional phrases provide important details about the words they modify,
such as by answering the following questions: Which one? What kind? How? Where? When? To
what extent?

The Prepositional Phrase

Recognize a prepositional phrase when you see one.
At the minimum, a prepositional phrase will begin with a preposition and end with a noun,
pronoun, gerund, or clause, the "object" of the preposition.

The object of the preposition will often have one or more modifiers to describe it. These are the
patterns for a prepositional phrase:

Preposition + Noun, Pronoun, Gerund, or Clause

Preposition + Modifier(s) + Noun, Pronoun, Gerund, or Clause

Here are some examples of the most basic prepositional phrase:

At home

At = preposition; home = noun.

In time

In = preposition; time = noun.

From Richie

From = preposition; Richie = noun.

With me

With = preposition; me = pronoun.

By singing
By = preposition; singing = gerund.

About what we need

About = preposition; what we need = noun clause.

Most prepositional phrases are longer, like these:

From my grandmother

From = preposition; my = modifier; grandmother = noun.

Under the warm blanket

Under = preposition; the, warm = modifiers; blanket = noun.

In the weedy, overgrown garden

In = preposition; the, weedy, overgrown = modifiers; garden = noun.

Along the busy, six-lane highway

Along = preposition; the, busy, six-lane = modifiers; highway = noun.

Without excessively worrying

Without = preposition; excessively = modifier; worrying = gerund.

Understand what prepositional phrases do in a sentence.

A prepositional phrase will function as an adjective or adverb. As an adjective, the prepositional
phrase will answer the question which one?

Read these examples:

The book on the bathroom floor is swollen from shower steam.

Which book? The one on the bathroom floor!

The sweet potatoes in the vegetable bin are green with mold.

Which sweet potatoes? The ones forgotten in the vegetable bin!

The note from Beverly confessed that she had eaten the leftover pizza.

Which note? The one from Beverly!

As an adverb, a prepositional phrase will answer questions such as how? When? Or Where?

Freddy is stiff from yesterday's long football practice.

How did Freddy get stiff? From yesterday's long football practice!

Before class, Josh begged his friends for a pencil.

When did Josh do his begging? Before class!

Feeling brave, we tried the Dragon Breath Burritos at Tito's Taco Palace.

Where did we eat the spicy food? At Tito's Taco Palace!

Remember that a prepositional phrase will never contain the

subject of a sentence.
Sometimes a noun within the prepositional phrase seems the logical subject of a verb. Don't fall
for that trick! You will never find a subject in a prepositional phrase. Look at this example:

Neither of these cookbooks contains the recipe for Manhattan-style squid eyeball stew.

Cookbooks do indeed contain recipes. In this sentence, however, a cookbook is part of the
prepositional phrase of these cookbooks. Neither—whatever a neither is—is the subject for the
verb contains.

Neither is singular, so you need the singular form of the verb, contains. If you incorrectly
identified cookbooks as the subject, you might write contain, the plural form, and thus commit a
subject-verb agreement error.

Some prepositions—such as along with and in addition to—indicate "more to come." They will
make you think that you have a plural subject when in fact you don't. Don't fall for that trick
either! Read this example:

Tommy, along with the other students, breathed a sigh of relief when Mrs. Markham announced
that she was postponing the due date for the research essay.

Logically, more than one student is happy with the news. But Tommy is the only subject of the
verb breathed. His classmates count in the real world, but in the sentence, they don't matter,
locked as they are in the prepositional phrase.